Building the Beginnings of a Beautiful Partnership

The authors describe the process leading to, and the outcome of, their partnership to build and operate a 76,000 square foot public/ community college joint use library. Located in Westminster, Colorado, the College Hill Library serves a population of approximately 70,000 Westminster residents and 6,000 Front Range Community College faculty and staff. The partnership began in 1994 to investigate the feasibility of building the facility, which opened in April 1998 and continues to be successful today. The authors provide information on the main points of the Intergovernmental Agreement to build and operate the facility and relate their experiences during the planning, construction, and initial year of operation of the library. They discuss issues relating to combining staff, automation systems, and collections as well as special challenges in publicizing the library to the community. An update on the current state of the partnership is provided by the current co-directors of the library.published or submitted for publicatio

Evidence-Based Sentencing: The Application of Principles of Evidence Based Practice to State Sentencing Practice and Policy

This Article examines these basic recidivism reduction principles of Evidence-Based Practice and the research on which they are based

What young graduates earn when they leave study

This report examines outcomes for young people who complete a qualification in the New Zealand tertiary education system, looking at differences in incomes for different types of qualifications. Overview People take tertiary education for many reasons. They think about what they enjoy, what they are good at, what they are capable of and what will get them started on a career. Good careers are associated with better health, better well-being and more satisfying lives. So many young people are making their tertiary education choices to gain the skills they need for satisfying and rewarding work. They use a range of information sources to help them make these choices. The information in this report is designed to add to the data available to young people facing those decisions. This information is not just important to students and to their families. The Government makes a very large investment in tertiary education each year – funding tertiary education providers, providing subsidised student loans and granting student allowances. One major purpose of the Government’s investment is to help improve the New Zealand economy and society by raising the level of skill in the population – which helps make our society more productive, contributes to the creation of wealth and leads to better social outcomes. Studying the earnings of graduates is one way of looking at the contribution that the tertiary education system is making to New Zealand’s society and economy. So the information in this report contributes to an understanding of the value New Zealand receives for the investment we make in tertiary education. Key findings Earnings increase with the level of qualification completed. The biggest jump in earnings is between those with qualifications below degree level and those with degrees. Earnings remain consistently higher for those with higher qualifications. Those with higher qualifications consistently earn more for the first seven years post study, with no sign of these benefits decreasing. Employment rates increase with level of qualification gained. For example, in the first year after study, 54 percent of young bachelors graduates who stayed in New Zealand were in employment and 40 percent were in further study. Of young people who had completed a level 1-3 certificate and stayed in New Zealand, 35 percent were in employment and 48 percent were taking more study. Very few young people who complete a qualification at diploma level or above are on a benefit in the first seven years after study. For those who stay in New Zealand, the benefit rate is 6 percent for diploma graduates and 2 percent at bachelors level in each of the first seven years after study. But it is around 14 percent for those who graduated with certificates at levels 1-3. Earnings vary considerably by field of study. Young graduates with bachelors degrees in medicine earn the most of all bachelors graduates. The median income for medical graduates is over $110,300 five years after leaving study, compared to$51,600 for all young bachelors graduates. Bachelors degree graduates in creative arts have the lowest earnings among young bachelors graduates after five years and they have relatively high rates of benefit receipt. Some qualification types and some fields are associated with high rates of further study. Around half of all young people who complete a certificate or level 5-7 diploma move into further study the next year. Around 60 percent of young bachelors graduates in natural and physical sciences who stay in New Zealand were in further study one year after completion of a bachelors degree, and 32 percent after five years. Those who complete graduate certificates and diplomas have very high employment rates. Employment rates are around 80 percent or just below in the first three years after study for those who have completed a graduate certificate or diploma and who remain in New Zealand. Many of these graduates have completed this qualification as a way of improving their employment prospects or are studying while in employment. The effect of the recession on the earnings of young graduates is still apparent. Although the country as a whole has pulled out of recession, the effects on young people have lingered with graduate earnings continuing to drop in real terms compared to those reported in our first study, Moving on up, for most years after study and at almost all qualification levels. However, there are indications that the rate of decrease in earnings may have been slowing down for recent graduates by the end of the 2012 tax year

Corn management: Understanding yield and the impact of growth variability on yield

The ‘drought of 2012’ actually started impacting Iowa crops as early as August of 2011. Ominous-looking, animated maps showed the extent and slow, creeping spread of extremely dry conditions across Iowa and the Corn Belt during the fall of 2011 and the 2011/2012 winter. Spring rains were not sufficient to recharge soil moisture. Corn planting proceeded ahead of normal. Although much of the corn ended up in what some considered ‘perfect’ seed beds, sidewall compaction and other early-season problems handicapped emergence and early-season growth. Warm temperatures (especially high-night temperatures) resulted in rapid progression through crop growth stages. Dry conditions aggravated the situation. The crop silked well ahead of normal. That trend continued through the reproductive period resulting in an early harvest. As a result of the early harvest we had drier grain and reduced drying costs

Adult and continuing education through the Cooperative Extension Service

ISBN: 0-933842-00-7"The Cooperative Extension Service has stimulated beneficial changes in the lives of millions of individuals, families and communities for 70 years; and the contribution is widely recognited. Yet, in spite of longevity, success and visibility, extension work is poorly understood. In retrospect this should not be surprising. The Cooperative Extension Service in the United States is highly decentralized in management and program focus. A continuing theme has been helping local people solve their problems and achieve their goals. In the microview the problems and goals of every person are unique. Therefore, everyone assisted by extension service tends to gain a different image of what the institution is and how it goes about achieving its educational goals. Even veteran professional extension workers find it difficult to describe extension work. In fact a random sample of professional workers representing the different programs and geographic areas would offer widely differing descriptions. State and national leaders face an impossible task in developing statements that describe concisely what the Cooperative Extension Service is and does."--From PrefaceWarren Prowl, Roger Medlin and John Gros

Weather Forecast Delays Corn Planting, but Late Planting Does Not Foretell Lower Yields

Average recommended planting dates for corn in Iowa lie between April 12 and May 18 in order to achieve 98-100 percent yield potential, but this varies a bit on the specific location (Abendroth and Elmore, 2010). Currently, Iowa soil temperatures range from approximately 57-63°F (Iowa Environmental Mesonet, 2013). While these temperatures are often considered good for planting because 50°F is the temperature necessary for corn seed germination, the weather forecasted is not ideal for a corn seed to germinate and begin emergence. According to NOAA, Story County highs May 2 and 3, 2013, will be in the low 40s°F with lows in the mid 30s with potential rain, sleet and snow. Last year, on April 26, Iowa soil temperatures ranged from 58-64°F; however, by April 29 soil temperatures dropped to 49-53°F across the state. This swing in temperatures, coupled with rain at that time, resulted in many reports of lower relative yields for corn planted between April 22-26 than corn planted later. Fluctuations in soil temperatures are related to deformed mesocotyl growth, which can result in “corkscrewed corn” (Nielsen, 2012)

Starter Fertilizer Impact on Growth, Development, and Grain Yield of Corn Hybrids and Seeding Rates

Starter fertilizer often increases early-season growth of corn. However, grain yield responses to starter fertilizer are variable. Plant-to-plant variability in growth and grain has been shown to have negative impacts on total grain yield. Our objectives were to measure plant-to-plant variability as affected by starter fertilizer, hybrid, and population. We also studied the impact of starter fertilizer on growth, development, and grain yield of hybrids and populations

Biological Soil Crusts of the Great Plains: A Review

Biological soil crusts (BSCs), or biocrusts, are composed of fungi, bacteria, algae, and bryophytes (mosses, etc.) that occupy bare soil, entwining soil particles with filaments or rootlike structures and/or gluing them together with polysaccharide exudates to form a consolidated surface crust that stabilizes the soil against erosion. BSCs are common in arid and semiarid regions where vascular plant cover is naturally sparse, maximizing the exposure of surface-dwelling organisms to direct sunlight. Although less prominent and less studied there, BSC organisms are also present in more mesic areas such as the Great Plains where they can be found in shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie, in the badlands of several states, where burrowing animals have created patches of bare soil, on damaged road-cuts, strip-mines, gas and oil drill pads, military training areas, heavily grazed areas, and burn scars. Even where BSCs are not readily visible to the naked eye, many of the organisms are still present. BSC organisms are passively dispersed to the Great Plains as airborne organismal fragments, asexual diaspores, or sexual spores that accompany wind-blown dust from as far away as northern China and Mongolia. BSCs can best be studied and managed by 1) acknowledging their presence; 2) documenting their diversity, abundance, and functional roles; and 3) minimizing unnecessary disturbance, particularly when the soils are dry. This paper describes the current knowledge of Great Plains BSCs in an effort to heighten awareness of these cryptic but crucial ecosystem components and to encourage new research initiatives to better understand and manage them in this biome. Some specific actions may include refined taxonomic and ecologic studies of BSC organisms in underexplored areas, particularly those previously less or not recognized as BSC habitat, and incorporation of techniques to sample airborne organisms